Finance Minister Jim Flaherty may have taken fiscal responsibility in the federal government to a whole new level by partnering with American Express in a deal that allows credit-card holders a chance to buy tickets to one of his upcoming speaking engagements before anyone else.

American Express issued a press release Wednesday morning with the subject line: “The Honourable James M. Flaherty via Front Of The Line,” which announces that anyone with an American Express card can buy tickets to Flaherty’s Feb. 6 speaking event as of 10 a.m. on Wednesday morning “before the general public.”

While Flaherty might be a type of celebrity, at least in Ottawa, the deal seems to be a bit out of line with other American Express Front-of-the-Line deals, which include tickets to The New Kids on the Block, The Wizard of Oz and Bill Maher.

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